editorNPR Digital Services RSS Generator 0.94Karen Grigsby Bates is the Los Angeles-based correspondent for NPR News. Bates contributed commentaries to All Things Considered for about 10 years before she joined NPR in 2002 as the first correspondent and alternate host for The Tavis Smiley Show . In addition to general reporting and substitute hosting, she increased the show's coverage of international issues and its cultural coverage, especially in the field of literature and the arts. In early 2003, Bates joined NPR's former midday news program Day to Day . She has reported on politics (California's precedent-making gubernatorial recall, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's re-election campaign and the high-profile mayoral campaign of Los Angeles' Antonio Villaraigosa), media, and breaking news (the Abu Ghrarib scandal, the 2004 tsunami in Southeast Asia and the execution of Stanley "Tookie" Williams). Bates' passion for food and things culinary has served her well: she's spent time with award-winning food critic Alan Richman and chefNPR Digital Services RSS Generator 0.94Karen Grigsby BatesFri, 28 Apr 2017 07:49:25 +0000Karen Grigsby Bateshttp://wmot.org
Karen Grigsby BatesFox News has been under fire in the past year for sexual harassment. First Fox chair Roger Ailes, then the network's favorite pundit, Bill O'Reilly, were forced to leave after multiple women complained of unwanted advances—and the blocked advancement they experienced when they didn't put out. (Both men claimed no wrongdoing, although Fox has paid millions to make would-be plaintiffs go away.) Now new charges of racial discrimination have been added to the harassment charges. Eleven Fox employees—current and former—have filed a class-action suit. The suit says the employees made multiple complaints about discrimination and racially derogatory language from specific managers, and that the network never did anything about these behaviors. The network denies it. Far from sucking away resources from angry Americans, a new study from Latino USA says DACA-eligible immigrants provide $2 billion each year in state and local taxes . There's a new philanthropist in town: the New York-based RobinThis Week In Race: Fox Sued, Schools Re-Segregate And Shea Moisture Gets Thirstyhttp://wmot.org/post/week-race-fox-sued-schools-re-segregate-and-shea-moisture-gets-thirsty
81306 as http://wmot.orgFri, 28 Apr 2017 07:01:00 +0000This Week In Race: Fox Sued, Schools Re-Segregate And Shea Moisture Gets ThirstyKaren Grigsby BatesBe honest: You're looking at this story thinking what else is there to add to reports on the 1992 riots that rocked LA , right? NPR has done anniversary retrospectives before, including a huge look-back on the 20th. But in the past five years, the issue of policing — how it's done, whether it's equitable, what happens when deadly confrontations occur — has become more urgent than ever. And what happened in Los Angeles that April night 25 years ago is a critical part of the current national conversation on policing and race. For the LAPD, there have been huge changes. "I can honestly say the LAPD of 2017 is not your grandfather's LAPD, and it's not the LAPD of Daryl Gates, that 25 years ago, plunged this city into the biggest riot in (modern) American history," says civil rights lawyer Connie Rice. Rice spent a lot of time from the late 1980s through the mid-90s challenging police aggression in the city's communities of color, especially people in poor parts of the city where policing'It's Not Your Grandfather's LAPD' — And That's A Good Thinghttp://wmot.org/post/its-not-your-grandfathers-lapd-and-thats-good-thing
81224 as http://wmot.orgWed, 26 Apr 2017 21:44:00 +0000'It's Not Your Grandfather's LAPD' — And That's A Good ThingKaren Grigsby BatesThe New England Patriots returned to the White House for the now-traditional visit to the president and presentation of a game helmet, jersey and other team-related swag. Correction, some of the Patriots visited the White House. Several, including most famously tight end Martellus Bennett, defensive back Devin McCourty and running back LeGarrette Blount, bowed out early on. (Blount was blunt: "I will NOT be going to the White House. I don't feel welcome in that house. I'll leave it at that," he told the Rich Eisen Show on Feb. 9.) A New York Times photo shows a much smaller number of players this year than last . Oddly, QB Tom Brady, a vocal Trump supporter, stayed away, citing family obligations. And we'll leave it at that. In happy news, a new mosque was inaugurated that is run and led by women but open to all . The women who founded it said Rosa Parks was an inspiration: "It's like when Rosa Parks got tired of sitting in the back of the bus. Women are getting tired of sitting in theThis Week In Race: Guess Who's Not Coming To The White Househttp://wmot.org/post/week-race-guess-whos-not-coming-white-house
80929 as http://wmot.orgFri, 21 Apr 2017 08:01:00 +0000This Week In Race: Guess Who's Not Coming To The White HouseKaren Grigsby BatesA new study from Stanford University's Immigration Policy Lab says giving driver's licenses to people who have entered the country illegally is actually contributing to public safety: licensed drivers are less likely to have hit-and-run accidents . Last week, we told you about how many of the country's police chiefs believed ICE crackdowns would make their jobs harder and hurt public safety. This week California took it a step further: the state Senate passed Bill 54, which limits the cooperation state and local police can give to immigration authorities. The bill, which has unofficially been labeled a "sanctuary state" bill , is expected to easily pass in the Democratic majority State Assembly, and Gov. Jerry Brown, also a Democrat, is expected to sign it. And there's this: ICE is sending shivers through many immigrant communities, which may have serious implications for public health: Fear of deportation can make people sick (constant anxiety can have an ill effect on existingThis Week In Race: Pepsi Challenged; Appropriation Nation; Black Twitter Explainedhttp://wmot.org/post/week-race-pepsi-challenged-appropriation-nation-black-twitter-explained
80198 as http://wmot.orgFri, 07 Apr 2017 08:31:00 +0000This Week In Race: Pepsi Challenged; Appropriation Nation; Black Twitter ExplainedKaren Grigsby BatesBusy week, per always: resistance to deportations, Spicy being salty at the White House, and Muslim Latinas. Yeah, really. The upswing in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) efforts to identify people who are in the country illegally and stage sweeps to deport them has run into a problem: While the president promised police chiefs across the country he would not cut their federal funds, he has now cut their funds — by announcing that cities that declare themselves sanctuary cities will get no financial support from the federal government. And police chiefs are not happy . At all. If immigrants, whatever their status, become too afraid to cooperate with police during criminal investigations in their communities, many heads of police departments say, those communities, and many others, will pay the price in decreased public safety. So the president has a choice: Help the chiefs, which he promised, and go against Attorney General Jeff Sessions, who is tasked with executing theThis Week In Race: A Spicer Dust-Up, Muslim Latinas Speak Out, Blue Men See Redhttp://wmot.org/post/week-race-spicy-shakedown-and-guy-named-bill-tried-auntie-maxine
79831 as http://wmot.orgFri, 31 Mar 2017 13:36:00 +0000This Week In Race: A Spicer Dust-Up, Muslim Latinas Speak Out, Blue Men See RedKaren Grigsby BatesOh people: it's been one of those weeks again. The focus on immigration continues, as the government promises to punish sanctuary cities and cities that have chosen not to do ICE's work for it by detaining undocumented immigrants until that agency can collect them for deportation. A number of police departments, including the LAPD, have indicated widespread fear of deportation in immigrant communities has had deleterious effects on how the police do their jobs. Stories like this one just increase the anxiety . In LA, reports from victims of sexual assaults are down 25 percent from this time last year . The prevailing theory is that victims, many undocumented (or from mixed-status families), are afraid that if they come forward, they'll expose themselves to deportation, which will separate them from their loved ones. And while much of the focus has been on deportations of Latinx, other groups have been under increased scrutiny. The Atlanta Black Star notes black African immigrants —This Week In Race: ICE Sends Chills Across U.S., Kaepernick, Others, Write Big Checkshttp://wmot.org/post/week-race-ice-sends-chills-across-us-kaepernick-others-write-big-checks
79427 as http://wmot.orgFri, 24 Mar 2017 08:01:00 +0000This Week In Race: ICE Sends Chills Across U.S., Kaepernick, Others, Write Big ChecksKaren Grigsby BatesGive up. You will never, ever catch up with every new TV show that's out there. There's a reason for that, says Melanie McFarland, television critic for Salon: "There were more than 450 new shows that premiered last year across broadcast, cable and streaming." McFarland says she watches hours and hours of television each week, and she's not surprised to see that among the offerings are a number of shows with black main characters and/or storylines that have attracted a whole lot of non-black viewers. According to Nielsen, which regularly tracks American viewing patterns, non-black viewers account for more than 50 percent of the audience for shows like: This Is Us, Black-ish, Secrets and Lies, How To Get Away With Murder, Pitch, Insecure and Atlanta . ABC's How To Get Away With Murder has a 68 percent non-black audience. It's part of the Shonda Rhimes powerhouse lineup of ensemble shows with multiracial casts — Grey's Anatomy, Private Practice, Scandal, How to Get Away With Murder andShows With Black Characters Find Loyal Non-Black Fanshttp://wmot.org/post/shows-black-characters-find-loyal-non-black-fans
79299 as http://wmot.orgWed, 22 Mar 2017 08:01:00 +0000Shows With Black Characters Find Loyal Non-Black FansKaren Grigsby BatesDesigners are rolling out their spring lines and the runways are looking more diverse than ever. But the comparative abundance of models who are people of color didn't happen overnight. There was the occasional — very occasional — model who wasn't white in the 50s and early 60s on runways. But African-American models put American couture on the map in 1973 when they walked the runway in France in what's become known as The Battle of Versailles . Almost instantly, black models were The Thing for a brief, halcyon period. But by the mid-80s, with a few glorious exceptions, the catwalks had regained a distinctly milky aspect. Many designers' casting directors — the people choose models for shows — would specify they wanted a "certain look." And for a long time that look was very, very pale. Things got so monochromatic that in 2013 Bethann Hardison, a former model and modeling agency owner, and supermodels Iman and Naomi Campbell formed an organization called Diversity Coalition, to insistOn Fashion Runways, Inclusion Is About More Than Colorhttp://wmot.org/post/fashion-runways-inclusion-about-more-color
79277 as http://wmot.orgTue, 21 Mar 2017 21:20:00 +0000On Fashion Runways, Inclusion Is About More Than ColorKaren Grigsby BatesCopyright 2017 NPR. To see more, visit ROBERT SIEGEL, HOST: If you asked someone 20 years ago to name a well-known feminist, they might have said Susan B. Anthony or Gloria Steinem or Lily Tomlin. In a recent poll, three of the women mentioned most often are African-American. Karen Grigsby Bates of our Code Switch team has more. KAREN GRIGSBY BATES, BYLINE: The public opinion research firm PerryUndem asked about 1,300 people of different ages, races and genders who they thought the country's most prominent feminists were. Former first lady Michelle Obama topped the list at number one. (SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING) MICHELLE OBAMA: I tell my mentees, I tell my daughters that our first job in life as women, I think, is to get to know ourselves. BATES: And she wasn't alone. PerryUndem principal Tresa Undem lists the names. TRESA UNDEM: First Michelle, then Oprah, then Hillary, then Beyonce. Three of the top four are women of color. BATES: Undem says for the past few years, feminism hasPoll Finds 3 Women Of Color As New Face Of Feminismhttp://wmot.org/post/poll-finds-3-women-color-new-face-feminism
78609 as http://wmot.orgMon, 06 Mar 2017 21:32:00 +0000Poll Finds 3 Women Of Color As New Face Of FeminismKaren Grigsby BatesLet's start with Sunday night, because, how could we not? You already know about the Moonlight cock-up (leave it to the British to give us a perfect word for what that was), but did you know this: although Moonlight 's Mahershala Ali was described as the first Muslim to win an Academy Award, Pakistan isn't having it. Apparently, the sect to which Ali belongs is outlawed in Pakistan. The Atlantic broke it down for us . Then the next day, all hell broke loose over another picture — although it's probably not being described as a best picture. Kellyanne Conway's sofa-straddle in the Oval got the internet talking. And inspired some terriffic memes. The awkwardness occurred when the counselor to the president was in the room as a couple dozen presidents of HBCUs were ushered in to meet POTUS. Hard to tell from the photo who was more pleased. But apparently a lot of people weren't pleased by what they saw as a Ms. Conway's breach of etiquette. As usual, Awesomely Luvvie came with the crispyThis Week In Race: Best Picture, Worst Picture, Picturing Trump's Americahttp://wmot.org/post/week-race-best-picture-worst-picture-picturing-trumps-america
78448 as http://wmot.orgFri, 03 Mar 2017 11:01:00 +0000This Week In Race: Best Picture, Worst Picture, Picturing Trump's AmericaKaren Grigsby BatesHarvard historian Caroline Light grew up with guns. Her family lived in Southwestern Virginia, and her parents regularly enjoyed hunting and shooting skeet (clay targets). They used guns on a recreational basis, not for what Light calls "do-it-yourself self-defense." Yet that's precisely what millions of Americans are doing — arming themselves with guns on the off chance that they will need them. Several versions of "stand your ground laws," which allow individuals to use lethal force if they fear for their lives, have grown exponentially in the past few decades. The law's premise stems from a "kill-or-be-killed" philosophy, Light says, that has become "an ideology, and ideal, that's been rapidly spreading throughout the United States for a while." Light's new book, Stand Your Ground: A History of America's Love Affair With Lethal Self-Defense, looks at how stand your ground descended from 17 th century English common law. The so-called Castle Doctrine decreed that a man (women andStand Your Ground Laws Complicate Matters For Black Gun Ownershttp://wmot.org/post/stand-your-ground-laws-complicate-matters-black-gun-owners
78224 as http://wmot.orgMon, 27 Feb 2017 19:10:00 +0000Stand Your Ground Laws Complicate Matters For Black Gun OwnersKaren Grigsby Bateshttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A2JbO9lnVLE POTUS Yanks The Welcome Mat The effects of the Trump administration's deportation sweeps will be felt, of course, most immediately by the people who are caught up in them. But as many conservatives are applauding the president's effort to make good on his campaign promise to rid the country of people who are here illegally, they may start to feel the results of that campaign in unanticipated ways. For instance, Eater has a good piece on the interconnected nature of immigrant labor and the price of the food in supermarkets and restaurants. If the human-rights aspect of the issue doesn't interest you, the prospect of $8 avocados and double-digit fast food might. And as the week has shown, having DACA status is no guarantee that an immigrant is safe from deportation, as KPCC reports. Nor are asylum-seekers. Meanwhile, the sweeps have caused widespread anxiety in Latino communities — and eager anticipation in at least one business, according toThis Week In Race: Immigration Headaches, Oscar Glow And POTUS At The Blacksonianhttp://wmot.org/post/week-race-immigration-headaches-oscar-glow-and-potus-blacksonian
78074 as http://wmot.orgFri, 24 Feb 2017 14:05:00 +0000This Week In Race: Immigration Headaches, Oscar Glow And POTUS At The BlacksonianKaren Grigsby BatesStories about black women whose employers asked them to cut their dreadlocks or to trim their big afros have surfaced with more frequency in the last few years. Now a new study confirms that many people — including black ones — have a bias against the types and styles of natural hair worn by black people. The "Good Hair Study" was conducted by Perception Institute, which describes itself as "a consortium of researchers, advocates and strategists" that uses emotional and psychological research to identify and reduce bias in areas such as law enforcement, education, civil justice and the workplace. The study resulted from a partnership with Shea Moisture, a black-owned hair and body products company, and aimed to better understand the connection between implicit bias and textured hair. The Good Hair Study asked over 4,000 participants to take an online IAT, or implicit association test , which involves rapidly-changing photos of black women with smooth and natural hair, and rotating wordNew Evidence Shows There's Still Bias Against Black Natural Hairhttp://wmot.org/post/new-evidence-shows-theres-still-bias-against-black-natural-hair
77067 as http://wmot.orgMon, 06 Feb 2017 14:33:00 +0000New Evidence Shows There's Still Bias Against Black Natural HairKaren Grigsby BatesIt's been a tense week for immigrants and people of color throughout the country, but there was some good news in California: a new study by the advocacy group National Council of La Raza points out that the state's Latinos, as a group, are doing much better in many areas. "Latinos in the Golden State: An Analysis of Economic and Demographic Trends" reveals an increase in the median household income for the state's Latinos, and a decrease in their poverty rate. Median incomes for California Latinos rose more than $5,000 annually, and the poverty level dropped 2.4 percentage points (a larger dip than for the state's non-Hispanic white households). And more Latino children now have health insurance: between 2013 and 2014, California "had the largest decrease in the number of uninsured Latino children," according to the study. The state's drop in those numbers accounted for a 44 percent drop in uninsured Latino children nationwide, although the report points out "the Latino childDespite Turmoil, Latinos In California Are Prosperinghttp://wmot.org/post/despite-turmoil-latinos-california-are-prospering
76812 as http://wmot.orgWed, 01 Feb 2017 15:36:00 +0000Despite Turmoil, Latinos In California Are ProsperingKaren Grigsby BatesCopyright 2017 NPR. To see more, visit MICHEL MARTIN, HOST: As we've talked about throughout this hour, hundreds of thousands of marchers crowded into cities like Washington, D.C., Chicago, Seattle, Austin and Raleigh and overseas in London, Munich, Cape Town and Paris to press for protection of women's rights, including reproductive health care, LGBTQ issues and equal pay. UNIDENTIFIED PROTESTERS: (Chanting) Rise up. UNIDENTIFIED WOMAN: Nasty women. UNIDENTIFIED PROTESTERS: (Chanting) Rise up. UNIDENTIFIED WOMAN: Nasty women. UNIDENTIFIED PROTESTERS: (Chanting) Rise up. UNIDENTIFIED WOMAN: Nasty women. UNIDENTIFIED PROTESTERS: (Chanting) Rise up. UNIDENTIFIED WOMAN: Nasty women. UNIDENTIFIED PROTESTERS: (Chanting) Rise up. MARTIN: The marchers are being called the most diverse for women's rights in American history, but that diversity has come at a price - racial tension. NPR's Karen Grigsby Bates from our Code Switch team reports on the historic conflict between race and feminism.Intersectional Feminism: Representation In Saturday's Women's Marcheshttp://wmot.org/post/intersectional-feminism-representation-saturdays-womens-marches
76256 as http://wmot.orgSun, 22 Jan 2017 00:02:00 +0000Intersectional Feminism: Representation In Saturday's Women's MarchesKaren Grigsby BatesThis week in race: Sports (dog) whistles, protection for Dreamers, a special book—and some hunky calendar men. Really. Now that the turkey endorphins have worn off, the leftovers are a distant memory, and the Obamas prepare for their last Christmas in the White House, we thought we'd put some of the things that happened over the holiday weekend (and this week) on a platter and offer them to you. No thank you notes required. Race and Immigration: The University of California system said no, gracias to suggestions that they cooperate in rounding up Latino students who have no papers. UC Chancellor Janet Napolitano said Dreamers and others without documentation should be able to pursue their studies without fearing deportation. Xia and Watanabe, LA Times . Race and Policing: A few weeks ago, the Justice Department announced it was phasing out private prisons. Now the New Yorker says the number of private prisons is expected to go up soon. Guess who that affects? Guess who's going toThis Week In Race: Dog Whistles, Dreamers And Dead Dictatorshttp://wmot.org/post/week-race-dog-whistles-dreamers-and-dead-dictators
73613 as http://wmot.orgFri, 02 Dec 2016 23:22:00 +0000This Week In Race: Dog Whistles, Dreamers And Dead DictatorsKaren Grigsby BatesTitle VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act prohibits employers from discriminating against employees on the basis of several things, among them race. The law, however, doesn't define "race." It also doesn't say anything about hair. Which brings us to Chastity Jones. In 2012, Jones, who is African-American, was denied a job because she wouldn't cut off her dreadlocks. Jones sued, saying the company was guilty of race-based, disparate treatment. When the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled against her last month, we got a glimpse of just how complicated race and identity really are. Jones was offered a job in the customer service department at Catastrophe Management Solutions, a claims-processing company in Mobile, Ala. But there was a catch: During the interview, CMS's human resources manager told Jones that the company could not hire her "with the dreadlocks," which were against company policy. According to the 11th Circuit's ruling, that conversation went down this way: "When Ms. JonesDreadlocks Decision Raises Another Question: What Is Race?http://wmot.org/post/dreadlocks-decision-raises-another-question-what-race
71564 as http://wmot.orgSun, 23 Oct 2016 11:07:00 +0000Dreadlocks Decision Raises Another Question: What Is Race?Karen Grigsby BatesAsk Walter Mosley what he does, and he'll say, simply, "I'm a writer." And he's written a lot: 52 books, about 30 short stories and another 30 or 40 articles, he says. While most writers specialize in one or two types of books, Mosley refuses to be constrained. He has written mysteries, science fiction, erotica, young adult fiction, plays, opinion pieces and essays. He has even penned a slim book that instructs would-be fiction writers on how to get started. "I have all these things, I'm continually writing them, and people say, 'Well I can't sell that,' " Mosley says. "And I say, 'Well that's OK, we'll just publish it, don't give me any advance and we'll see where it goes.' You know, because the idea of writing ... if you want to get rich, you go into real estate." But it's his Easy Rawlins series that made Walter Mosley famous. The most recent book in the series, Charcoal Joe , was released this summer. The first book in the Rawlins series, Devil in a Blue Dress , was written in 1990'Easy' Writer: Walter Mosley's Passion For Bringing Black LA Stories To Life http://wmot.org/post/easy-writer-walter-mosleys-passion-bringing-black-la-stories-life
67588 as http://wmot.orgFri, 29 Jul 2016 16:15:00 +0000'Easy' Writer: Walter Mosley's Passion For Bringing Black LA Stories To Life Karen Grigsby BatesCharles Kinsey, a Florida health worker, was swept into the national debate about police and African-Americans after video of police shooting him went viral. Just over a week before, Alton Sterling and Philando Castile became familiar names and hashtags following their shooting deaths by police, and the videos of those incidents spreading across traditional and social media. But fewer people know about Delrawn Small, an African-American man was shot to death by an officer in early July. So why did the names of Kinsey, Sterling and Castile wind up in headlines around the country and the world, while Small's death has been barely covered? What makes some victims of police shootings newsworthy, and others not? William Drummond, a journalism professor at the University of California, Berkeley, explains that "the ones that editors and reporters immediately react to are the cases when somebody gets harmed, or shot, or killed, who did not deserve it." Kinsey is a prime example of this. He wasWho Is Delrawn Small? Why Some Police Shootings Get Little Media Attentionhttp://wmot.org/post/who-delrawn-small-why-some-police-shootings-get-little-media-attention
67464 as http://wmot.orgTue, 26 Jul 2016 17:15:00 +0000Who Is Delrawn Small? Why Some Police Shootings Get Little Media AttentionKaren Grigsby BatesCopyright 2017 NPR. To see more, visit RACHEL MARTIN, HOST: The deaths this past week of African-American men in encounters with police, along with the killing of five Dallas officers by a black shooter, have left many African-American gun owners with conflicting feelings. Those range from shock to anger and defiance. From our Code Switch team, Karen Grigsby Bates has more. KAREN GRIGSBY BATES, BYLINE: When the Reverend Kenn Blanchard heard the news from Dallas, he says it catapulted him back to the racially charged violence of 1968, when civil rights activist Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated and many black neighborhoods in cities across the country went up in flames. The evangelical minister says the anguish of this week felt similar. KENN BLANCHARD: And I thought, wow, only thing that's missing is the cities are not burning. But the internet was. BATES: Blanchard, who's known on social media as Black Man with a Gun, is a former federal security officer and firearms trainer. HeBlack Gun Owners Have Conflicting Feelings After Dallas Shooting Of 5 Police Officershttp://wmot.org/post/black-gun-owners-have-conflicting-feelings-after-dallas-shooting-5-police-officers
66854 as http://wmot.orgSun, 10 Jul 2016 13:13:00 +0000Black Gun Owners Have Conflicting Feelings After Dallas Shooting Of 5 Police Officers